The Meaning Of Chaos
As I said last issue: To understand anything, you must understand everything. In early 2009, I went to an exhibition at the Norwegian National Gallery. The exhib
From Exploding Range Rovers to Knitted Mittens?
‘Iceland is no longer a country. It is a hedge fund.’ —Man from the IMF supposedly speaking to Michael Lewis, Vanity Fair, March 2009. During this past year it seemed [&helli
Stuff We Like!
It’s damn near unbelievable how many excellent concerts are going on in Reykjavík these days. Ólöf Arnalds, Hildur Guðnadóttir, kimono, Grapevine Grassroots – we&#
The Humbling of Iceland
In 2009, Iceland became the poster child of the global economic downturn. The precipitous collapse of Iceland’s banks and the ensuing popular overthrow of the Independence Party-
2K9 Round Up Bonanza Extravaganza Madness!
As 2009 drew to a close, Grapevine flipped through its stuffed contacts list and sent out a bunch of e-mails, made a bunch of calls, to people we thought could […]
Iceland’s Year in Politics
This past year in Iceland has probably been most memorable on the political front. The usual stories that get us international headlines—whaling, music, anything about green ener
Professor Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson On 2009
One of the Grapevine’s most locally discussed features of 2009 was our interview with Political Science professor and Independence Party ideologue/Davíð Oddsson advocate Hannes
Human Nature
I am not a fan of politics. I hardly follow the folly that goes on behind semi-closed doors at Parliament and my knowledge is just about only made up from […]
The Year In Brief
January January will be most memorable for the protests in front of Alþingi that raged on Austurvöllur throughout the month, as Icelanders furious at the collapse of the banks de
Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir presents
Our resident comic artist, Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir, is currently teaching a group of awesome teenagers a course on the art of creating comix. We thought it would be a great [&
Haukur’s 19th Editorial
I have nothing to say for now. There is enough editorialising in this issue already. Seriously, it’s packed – go read it. Like in our first issue of 2009, we […]
Letters from 1st issue
MOST AWESOME LETTER Hello Haukur, As a person interested in the financial fate of Iceland, as we all are, may I be so bold as to outline a possible solution […]
A Year of Reckoning
One word in particular can be used to sum up the atmosphere in Icelandic society in the year 2009. That word is: reckoning. During the past year there has been […]
An Invitation To Historical Forgery
The first thing that comes to mind about 2009, as a sort of milestone event for the year, is the hiring of Davíð Oddsson as editor for Morgunblaðið. It can […]
Skipping the Middle Man
As a national referendum for the Icesave law looms, I have to wonder if it’s even necessary. When the president of Iceland vetoed the Icesave deal that parliament passed into
Cleaning Up The Mess
Noted political and social commentator Egill Helgason has hosted Iceland’s main political debate Show, Silfur Egils (now showing on RÚV, alongside his literary program Kiljan) f
Iceland’s President Trolls Europe
Our illustrious president, Ólafur Ragnar “Epic Lulz” Grímsson, decided to purge himself of his reputation as Icelandic Venture Capitalist Cheerleader Numero Uno and vetoed th
Stuff We Like!
Since we are embarking upon an exciting new year of Grapevines, we thought we’d have some fun and invite you folks to choose your favourite GV cover of 2009. There […]
Stuff We Like!
Tonight is the last night of 2009. This certainly calls for a celebration, since we have high hopes and a good feeling about 2k10. And what better way to celebrate […]
Poetry and Prose
The difference between poetry and prose? Poetry sings, prose talks. Poetry dances, prose walks. Poetry’s fewer words with more (“deeper”) meaning. Poetry’s about form while
Holiday Opening Hours
Since there is a small chance that some of you reading this are tourists stranded in Iceland over the Holidays, and since pretty much all of Iceland shuts down during […]